A Snow Day!

Today we had our first snow of the year! I have eagerly been awaiting some white winter weather! It was a wonderful day, and it made it even more special because Josh was home. Some days it is really nice that he works from home. He was able to hang out a little and play in the snow with us.

At lunch today we looked out the window and saw 6 cardinals in our pear tree. Here is a shot of three of them; it was a beautiful sight against the white snow. It's kind of a "Where's Waldo?" shot, but it really was beautiful.

Of course we had to bring Kate out in the snow for her first romp in the white powder! She insisted on walking down the lane by herself. She was so cute! We had a wonderful time.

We had to make sure she had some contact with the snow. "Snow- cold," she said.

Daddy made snowballs with Kate.

After some time out in the snow, we came back home and drank warm hot chocolate. Kate loved that too. It was a day of 1st experiences for her.

YUMMY!!!!

Yummy...Yummy Treats Tonight

After a yummy dinner (see recipe on side bar) Josh, Kate and I ran out to run a few errands. Josh surprised us with an ice-cream cone on the way home. Needless to say, Kate loved it.

Momma Said There Would Be Days Like This...

We have been bracing ourselves for the attack of the gastro-intestional bug that has been going around our area. I have been keeping Kate in seclusion from kids and the community trying to avoid the sickness. But it hit regardless on Wednesday night. Kate threw up from about 6 p.m. until 9:45 p.m.. Just as we were debating about whether to take her to the ER, she stopped and fell asleep. She woke up again around midnight begging for water. But we could only give her small sips every five minutes until her stomach was ready to handle the liquid. So I decided to bring her downstairs and distract her w/ Elmo while I stretched out a sippie cup of Pedialyte over one hour.

As we were going down the stairs, I missed the last step and fell. Luckily, Kate was okay – shaken but okay. I on the other hand could not walk. So despite my best efforts to keep Kate out of the emergency room, I ended up going there on Thursday morning. My foot is severely sprained but not broken. I still am having a very hard time walking; however, each day gets a little easier. Currently, carrying Kate up and down the stairs is the most challenging. Luckily, most of the time Kate is happy to climb the stairs on her own.

Josh was fabulous. He took over and watched Kate while I was in the hospital ,and when I got back he let me sleep for FIVE hours!! I woke up just in time for Josh to start throwing up! He spent most of Thursday on the floor over a bowl or in the bathroom - poor guy! Needless to say, he spent most of Friday sleeping and gaining back his strength.


I haven't gotten the bug yet, and God-willing I won't--the sprained foot was enough. We spent the entire weekend in the house. I must say, despite the mounds and mounds of laundry, all the sheets, crib padding, and more laundry - the sickness was a blessing-it was nice to have a valid excuse to stay inside this weekend. (We had arctic cold weather all weekend. So cuddling on the couch under blankets was a welcomed treat.)


We're hopeful this week will be less eventful! Historic perhaps, but no hospital trips please!

Here we are at 1 a.m. on the couch watching Elmo. My foot is elevated and on ice.

Kate is patiently waiting for her next sip of water.

A bit of Catch Up...

Confessions of a busy mom: I do not know where the time goes. Kate keeps me so busy that the day is over before I realize it. I haven't picked up my camera much these days- too busy. Nor have I posted much - too tired. However, I thought I'd put up a few pictures and an anecdote or two.

Kate discovered the joy of my camera...

this is her first self-portrait.

This picture doesn't do Kate justice,

but she looked so cute this day with her pig-tails and sweater.

I love her mischievous smile too.

Kate found a new hiding place. There is a tiny area between the piano and the kitchen wall that she can fit in just perfectly. She loves to slide back there and wait to be found. If I'm in the kitchen cooking, she might go in and hide. All of a sudden I'll hear her say "Katie? Katie?" As if she's asking me to say to her, "Where's Katie? Where did Katie go?"

Speaking of cooking, Kate is following in my footsteps here. She loves to come in the kitchen and cook with me. She has a cabinet in the kitchen that is "hers". She pulls out bowls and pans and walks around the kitchen saying cooking, cooking, cooking. Then she'll put the bowl up to her mouth and say "Hmm...good!" Her imagination is really starting to take off. This is such a fun age to watch. We are loving her fun spirit. (Although, we had to put safety knobs up on the stove, because Kate has discovered those too!)

She talking up a storm these days. I'll have to post some of her common phrases another day.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

I love this picture of Kate! This about sums up Christmas for us. Kate LOVED the wrapping paper! She could have taken or left the gifts that were inside, but the paper--what a treat that was! We had a lot of fun watching her open gifts. Some of her favorite gifts were a doll from Gigi, a new toothbrush, a Veggietale DVD, and a container of blocks. We are still opening a few remaining gifts - her attention span isn't that long these days.

Brenden received an incredible toy train. It's big enough to sit on and ride around the room. Papa took some video of Kate on the train, so we hope to get that up soon. She actually figured out how to operate the train. I was amazed watching her. She's not a little baby anymore. She's so smart - figuring out how to do things on her own every day. Boy do they grow up fast!

Christmas Wishes

One Christmas tradition I look forward to is the arrival of Christmas cards! I really do get excited when they arrive. A few years ago, I started displaying them on our pantry door as part of our holiday decorations. I love to see how kids have changed, to remember friends from various seasons of life, and be reminded of the love of family both near and far away. As the door slowly fills up over the weeks of December, I am often overwhelmed with gratitude at the richness of our life: so many friends, so much love, so much to be grateful for.

We hope your Christmas is full of love and gratitude for all God has blessed you with- starting with the birth of His son -- the miracle that makes hope, joy, and love possible.

Merry Christmas,

Love the Henrys

2008

Ho...Ho...Ho

I say Santa, Kate says, "Ho...Ho...Ho". That's about all she understands about the concept of Santa Claus. Now her cousin, Brenden, gets the idea fully. We say Santa, and he says, "I want a Choo Choo Train." He is so excited about Santa, we think he's going to crawl out of his skin. Rumor has it that Santa has even made a telephone call to Brenden to check in on his train request. Kate's just not there yet. But in honor of tradition, Kate went to sit on Santa's lap for a photo this week. She held her hands out to me the whole time (hence Santa's hand on her arm). But all in all I think it went pretty well for a 16 month old who doesn't care for strangers.

We were pretty slow getting out tree up this year. Seems the Christmas spirit has alluded me a bit, but slowly we're getting there. Our tree was put up on Tuesday night. Josh and I finally decorated it tonight. And I must say it looks beautiful! I love sitting on the couch and seeing the white lights glow from across the room.

Speaking of the tree, Josh has been messing with Kate's mind. Our tree lights have an on/off button that you can step on to easily turn the tree off. Well when we first put it up, Kate got all excited and started clapping. So Josh turned the tree off when she clapped, and back on again when she clapped again. (CLAP ON...CLAP OFF...) So now my poor little angel stands in front of the tree clapping and can't understand why the lights won't come on! He's tormenting her. Isn't there a verse in the Bible about father's not exasperating their children? Poor, Kate. Anybody receive a Clapper this year in a white elephant exchange? We could use one.